*Those vitamin B12 shots that med spas pitch as an energy fix probably won’t do much for you. The Guardian reports that the average person is not short on the vitamin, so more of it changes little.
Andrea Dean, a hematologist at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, likens it to a car. Topping off a full gas tank will not make it go faster.
So why do some customers swear by the shots? A placebo effect may explain part of it.
“We know that some of this is just all mental,” Dean said.
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Money matters too. Spas typically pay less than a dollar for a dose, then charge anywhere from $25 to $75 for it.
At least the downside is small. Any B12 the body cannot use gets flushed out, and Dean has yet to encounter a patient who overdosed.
A true deficiency is a different story. Roughly one in 25 American adults has too little B12, and the odds rise after age 60. Vegans, heavy drinkers and people with digestive conditions or past stomach surgery also face higher risk. So do patients who have spent years on metformin or acid-reducing drugs.
For them, a shortage can mean exhaustion, depression, anemia and trouble with memory, Dean said. In serious cases, hands and feet may tingle or go numb. Correcting the problem can bring energy back.
Correcting it does not always require a needle. Injections make sense when the shortage is severe or the body cannot absorb the vitamin. When nerve symptoms appear, “we don’t play around,” Dean said. Many other patients can swallow strong doses of B12 and get similar results for less money.
Constant tiredness is still worth a doctor’s visit, since B12 is only one suspect. Thyroid trouble, too little iron and bad sleep can also drain energy.
“It’s not just B12,” Dean said.
A doctor can check B12 with routine bloodwork. Labs generally set the cutoff at 200 or 250 pg/mL. Dean’s own threshold is higher, and she treats patients who fall under 400.
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